PUNE: The civic body has finally started the work to remove four electric poles 500m apart that were sticking out dangerously on the NIBM-Undri Road between Clover Metropole and Konark Imperial Towers. Residents have been complaining for four years about the poles after the road widening work in 2017.
Many motorists have crashed into these poles, drivers find it difficult to avoid them and often injure themselves and damage their vehicles, local residents said.
Local resident Parveen Tambe said, “During the day, when there is peak traffic, many vehicles get involved in accidents trying to avoid these poles. At night, drivers cannot see the poles which causes worse accidents.”
Vinayak Kasbe, who uses this route to go to work daily, said, “I have got into minor accidents due to these poles.”
Sardar Patil, senior inspector of Kondhwa police station, said, “The patch is a dangerous one responsible for regular mishaps.”
PMC has started the work after funds were sanctioned by the local corporator. Four electric poles and five spans will be removed and electric lines will be installed underground. Kiran Sarode, additional executive engineer, MSEDCL, said, “Apart from addressing the traffic issue, this will also resolve the problem of frequent power cuts in the area, which occur specially during the rains.”
Local corporator Nanda Lonkar said ever since the road was widened, leaving the electric poles as an obstruction on the road, she has been following up with MSEDCL to remove them, but they have been short on funds. “Residents have repeatedly brought their concerns for safety on this 2km stretch over the years to me. Now, I have received a sanction of Rs12 lakh to remove the poles from PMC,” she added.
Shriniwas Kandul, head of PMC’s electrical department, said MSEDCL installs the overhead poles, it is their job to move them out of the way when road widening work is done, but there was a shortage of funds. He said, “While the local corporators have sanctioned funds, PMC is carrying out the work of removing such poles in many places across the city where road widening work had been done before the pandemic.”
